The secret operatives of justice for the World Government, Cipher Pol 9 do all the dirty work the Marines won’t. Whether it be assassination or political espionage, they have no qualms about killing anyone or mucking around in affairs they shouldn’t. The Cipher Pol 9 members themselves are especially strange, and each is a different kind of awful to deal with.
Warning that this article contains spoilers for One Piece. Catch up through Viz before reading further!
What is Cipher Pol?
Cipher Pol is the undercover, covert operations division of the World Government that functions totally independently of the Marines. This means they have no oversight other than the Gorosei themselves, and are often the ones sent on assassination missions that need discretion. There’s not much they aren’t allowed to do, and it’s very obvious when they receive flashbacks to Ohara, proving it’s been an ongoing thing.
Rob Lucci
While he’s not technically the leader of Cipher Pol 9, Lucci does have the commanding presence the others follow. He’s cold and collected under any situation, willing to do whatever it takes to finish the mission they’ve undertaken. It’s his lust for violence that stokes the Enies Lobby incident, as he fights Luffy all out despite the destruction raining down around them. After his failed attempt at kidnapping Nico Robin and fighting Luffy in Enies Lobby, Lucci is temporarily fired from the association before being brought back on to Cipher Pol Aegis 0.
His past is still very much a mystery, and all that’s known about Lucci is that he was a young child when he began working. The flashbacks to his childhood show he was like this long before meeting Nico Robin, and a bloodthirsty killer since childhood. Even before he has his Cat-Cat Fruit, Model: Jaguar, he’s a tornado of blood and violence. Considering what’s being revealed throughout the story, some theorize he’s a former orphan under Mother Carmel, sold to the World Government.
Kaku
The second strongest member of Cipher Pol 9, or at least the second most popular. Kaku is just as terrifying of a fighter as Rob Lucci. He practices a four-sword style, making him the natural enemy when matched up against the Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro. It works, despite how ridiculous it may look. The Devil Fruit he acquires after delivering Nico Robin to Enies Lobby also becomes a deadly weapon in his arsenal. Kaku is a master in the Six Powers, with mastery only slightly below that of Lucci.
While he’s just as dedicated to the mission of Cipher Pol, Kaku is much less stoic than his co-assassin Lucci. Whereas the Jaguar-man is usually steady and quiet, Kaku gets loud. His fights involve Kaku saying whatever he thinks with no regard for what anyone else feels. His Ox-Ox Fruit, Model: Giraffe, is a soft spot for him that a lot of people make fun of. Which is a shame because giraffes are awesome, in his opinion.
Spandam
The leader of Cipher Pol 9 is the most evidently spoiled nepo baby the Marines have after Helmeppo. Actually, he’s even worse than Helmeppo, who at least has some kind of realization about how bad he is. Spandam is just generally an asshole, who has no care for other lives and would gladly give them up for a promotion. He also has the sword Funkfreed, which ate the Elephant-Elephant Fruit, allowing it to turn into one.
Somehow after the major screwup at Enies Lobby, he’s still the only one employed by the World Government. Likely, he retains his position due to his father’s previous tenure as Cipher Pol 9 leader. Unfortunately he’s still just as useless as he was before. The idiot even gets promoted to Cipher Pol Aegis 0 along with the others, despite not doing anything to deserve it.
Spandine
The father of Spandam and architect of the Ohara genocide. He originally calls the Buster Call down on them, deeming everyone on Ohara a criminal in the process. Spandine isn’t quite as bad as the terrible offspring he produced, thankfully. That said, he’s still a massive jerk, and has equally little care for human life.
There’s no confirmation whether he’s alive or not in the present day, as Spandine has seemingly retired. If he is still around, he’s probably busy telling his son what a loser he is.
Kalifa
Originally undercover in the Galley-La company as Iceberg’s assistant and secretary, Kalifa is a femme fatale for Cipher Pol. She specializes in espionage, infiltrating wherever she needs to steal information or assassinate political rivals. The World Government trusts her enough to put her closest to Iceberg throughout their time on Water 7. She even proves to be the one who finds out he doesn’t have Pluton. Despite her already deadly Six Powers mastery, Kalifa also has the Bubble-Bubble Fruit, which allows her to control and turn people into smooth bubbles.
She’s not the strongest member by any means, but she does stay with the group in Cipher Pol 0. Kalifa is their top agent when it comes to espionage. She’s still infiltrating and flirtatiously taking any information they need, while looking good doing it.
Jabra
The big bad wolf of Cipher Pol is a liar through and through, much like Usopp. He’s a brutal fighter with tooth and claw from his Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Wolf, as well as Six Powers mastery. Initially, when he’s introduced, he’s a skeevy asshole. Jabra tries to pass himself off as a Straw Hat ally, saying he’s actually Robin’s long-lost brother. His lie even pays off briefly, getting a few hits in on Usopp while his guard is down.
Unfortunately for Jabra, he’s nowhere near strong enough to go up against Sanji. The Straw Hat Chef delivers his first Diable Jambe, frying up the big bad wolf. Recently he’s come back in the manga as a Cipher Pol Aegis 0 operative. He’s last seen guarding Nefertari Vivi after she becomes a World Government nuisance.
Blueno
This guy is so dopey it’s easy to let your guard down around him, and that’s exactly what he wants. Blueno is actually one of the stronger Cipher Pol 9 members alongside Lucci and Kaku, but hides it behind a blank expression. He goes undercover as a barkeep in Water 7, schmoozing up to the Galley-La workers and locals who come in for drinks so he can learn any town secrets. For all his unassuming nature, nobody would expect Blueno to hold the Door-Door Fruit and Six Powers mastery.
Blueno is insanely overpowered thanks to the Shave power on top of his Devil Fruit, which allows him to open doors in blank space. It requires Luffy to hit Gear Second for the first time to take him down, but he seems to have grown stronger since joining CP0.
Kumadori
No way around it except to say that this is probably the most hated member of Cipher Pol 9. He’s just really weird, giving off creepy vibes with a stark white face and strangely flexible hair. Kumadori doesn’t even have a Devil Fruit, but for some reason, he’s able to control his hair and use it as a weapon, which is just… it’s weird, okay? That’s not the worst though, because he has Six Powers mastery, especially when it comes to the Iron Body technique.
He’s still a part of Cipher Pol 0 when everyone comes back later, guarding Nefertari Vivi along with Jabra at the Reverie. Kumadori is just as creepy as before, except now he has a fancy white suit. He’s still the worst though.
Fukurou
Cha-pa-pa! He may have the dumbest laugh in Cipher Pol 9, but he’s also the best comic relief other than Kaku. Fukurou is incredibly strong when it comes to fights, with Six Powers Mastery just like the others. His issue is more that he has a zipper over his mouth, meant to stop his incessant yapping. Oh, and his nonstop spilling of secrets. He’s even bad enough about it that he isn’t allowed to go into the Enies Lobby town. It’s all because he talks about Cipher Pol members to the regular soldiers, even telling them about Jabra’s breakups.
It’s surprising that he’s able to come back with Cipher Pol 0, but it’s likely an all-or-nothing deal. He’s with them at the Reverie, and is one of the few in charge of Vivi while the others are busy elsewhere. Fukurou will likely mess something up in the future by spilling a secret, it just remains a mystery as to what he’ll let slip.
Is Cipher Pol 9 Defunct?
While not technically defunct, Cipher Pol 9 has been absorbed into Cipher Pol Aegis 0. They function in the same capacity now, but with a higher level of discretion and secrecy. Most wear masks when in a public setting in order to keep their identities a mystery. Even a lot of the original CP0 members are still mysterious. Of course, the masks don’t matter much when it comes to the former Cipher Pol 9 members, widely known by now.
The Cipher Pol 9 team that fans know is now part of Aegis 0, but CP9 itself still remains as a lower-level espionage group. Though they’re likely not going to play into the story now, seeing as Aegis 0 is the new big bad of the World Government. Cipher Pol 9’s members are still playing a massive part in the story of One Piece though, and may become something even more in the greater scope.
